Customer Reviews

Promised Land

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Between their previous commercial breakthrough in 1990 and the release of this record in 1994, the grunge movement had arrived and taken over. Yet, the band seemed to completely ignore the influences of those other Seattle bands (who probably were signed in part due to the commercial success of Queensryche) and continue along the same lines as 'Empire' (1990), with a bit less of a commercial bent:

1. 9:28 AM/I Am I. "I Am I" was the first radio release and, with its middle-eastern inspired guitar riff, serves as an appropo introduction to a record thematically focused on an exploration of the human psyche.

2. Damaged. Appropriately connected inextricably with the previous song, "Damaged" discusses the process of psychotherapy over some stunning guitar work. (A rather unmemorable live version is included at the end as a bonus track.)

3. Out of Mind. After the manic "Damaged", the band goes into an atmospheric musical sequel to "Silent Lucidity" without leaving the lyrical theme of the first two songs.

4. Bridge. No doubt inspired by their own MTV Unplugged appearance and the success of that show, this single is a simple, simple, acoustic ditty (uncharacteristic for Queensyrche) narrating a dialogue between a neglected son and a father seeking redemption.

5. Promised Land. This is certainly the musical magnum opus of the lot, with lyrics and music of epic proportions.

6. Disconnected. The sonic highlight of the record is engined by a groove and some great sounds, making the lyrics (a semi-spoken word dissertation on the narrator's state of mind) someone irrelevant.

7. Lady Jane. Bring on the pianos (previously unheard on Queensryche records) for this melodic "ballad" that could have easily been a single if not for its slightly edgy lyrics.

8. My Global Mind.

9. One More Time. Carrying on in the tradition of such tracks like "Resistance", if there is any filler on this record, it is "My Global Mind" and "One More Time."

10. Someone Else? This is a great piece done with vocals and piano. (NOTE: A lesser full band version is included as a bonus track.)

Besides the bonus tracks discussed above, this remaster also includes the quality tune, "The Real World" (studio version and live version), which is musicially quite similar to "Silent Lucidity" (even including Michael Kamen's orchestration) and was only available on the 'Last Action Hero' soundtrack (1993).

Reasonable minds will differ, but it is undisputed that the four ESSENTIAL Queensryche records are (in chronological order): 'Rage for Order' (1986), 'Operation: Mindcrime' (1988), 'Empire' (1990), and 'Promised Land' (1994). The releases that came before (debut EP (1983) and 'The Warning' (1984)) and after ('Hear in the Now Frontier' (1997), 'Q2K' (1999), and 'Tribe' (2003)) were, in varying degrees, clearly inferior. Plan your purchases accordingly!

With the rise of alternative music, the climate into which Queensryche released "Promised Land" was very different. The album fared poorly and was negatively received by audiences, who seemed to be regressing in the face of new musical movements-- indeed, hope that the band would retread the past rather than move forward has been a common thread for Queensryche. But instead, they embraced change and created what a small minority consider to be their true masterpiece-- an album successfully fusing the progressive influences wiht the metal sound the band had honed without sounding pretentious, overblown, or pointless.

But the truth is, this isn't for everyone-- its not a straight metal album, even pieces like "I Am I" and "Damaged", the opening pair that are firmly lodged in metal, have something to them that separates them from the old material. And after these two, there really is a seemingly endless array of textured variety and a large influence of acoustic instruments, from modest hit "Bridge" (a rather personal story about Chris DeGarmo's relationship with his father), washed in acoustic guitars, to building "Lady Jane" and its prominent cello lines (structurally, the piece is reminiscent of "Anybody Listening?") to the stunning piano ballad, "Someone Else?", delivered with a vocal by Tate fulll of passion and power.

Add to this a few really unique pieces-- "Out of Mind" with its gentle harmonies, plodding bass, and beautiful soloing, the indescribable title track, washed in loungey sounds, and the brilliant "Disconnected", rhythmically driven and powerful and you have the recipe for a brilliant record.

Oh, and its wrapped in probably the best cover art Queensryche has ever done as well.

The reissue is remastered, although relatively pointlessly, I don't detect much a difference, and augments the record with four bonus tracks. "Real World" is a great orchestral piece that is explosive and powerful and belonged on the album in my assessment (it was originally in a soundtrack). The full band version of "Someone Else?" is interesting, but lacking in comparison to the studio version, simply because it loses some of the simplicity of the original (live the band did somewhat of a cross between the two that did work much better, however). This is augmented by two live tracks-- "Damaged" and "Real World" from the "Promised Land" tour stop in London that are both superb and enhance the experience nicely.

For fans of unique music, progressive rock, etc, this is essential. For metal fans, this might be hard to digest, but it is a brilliant record worthy of consideration.

I don't know why I ever passed on this release by Queensryche. I heard numerous fans saying that this releases was the begining of the end for Queensryche, and that they've finally sold out.....NOT TRUE!!!

This isn't as explosive, or as heavy as the earlier works, but it doesn't need to be. The musicianship here excellent, and the pure emotion of "Promised Land" is undeniable. This is a masterpiece that just gets better and better everytime I listen to it. It's a wonderful change of pace as well....

The whole overall feel of "Promised Land" is without question the most unique Queensryche has ever accomplished. I don't know any other Heavy Metal band that could have made this sound as good as this does. Don't listen to the other fans who bash this release. This is Queensryche, and even though I prefer their older stuff for it's heaviness, "Promised Land" is still one of their best, and most accomplished releases IMO....

First things first. Promised Land was the last Queensryche album that I liked and they have released nothing that I enjoyed much since 1994. As a matter of fact, whatever they did post-PL sounds nothing like the Queensryche we all discovered in the 80's and grew to love so much over the years. Unfortunately they took a completely different direction after this record obviously going for a more commercial sound alienating some of their die-hard fans along the way, myself included. Well, so be it. To me Promised Land was the last nail in the coffin of Queensryche and they will never be the same band again.

I'm all for change and progression. I do not expect my favourite bands to carry on walking on the same musical path for ever. The self-titled debut was great as was The Warning. With Rage for Order they were onto new soundscapes and Mindcrime was the pinnacle of their success. With Empire they also managed to sell their albums. And all of this happened in a space of eight years always pushing their limits a bit broader and developing their mindset. As years passed by, the brilliance of Mindcrime and Empire was even more evident, so the guys took a long time -- 4 years -- to write their ultimate follow-up to these magnificent records. And Promised Land proved to be a completely different, more mature in a way and unexpected Queensryche album. While it surprised some fans, it eventually began to grow on those who were open-minded, particularly with "I Am I" getting a lot of airplay and MTV support.

This is not a concept album or as unified a release as Mindcrime was; however it has its own unique traits to it and is possibly the most balanced album in their entire catalog. Everything runs so smoothly satisfying both the old metalheads and the ones who lean towards Ryche's proggy roots. The Pink Floyd influence was never so prevalent before. There are spots on this disc that are very reminiscent of Floyd's A Momentary Lapse in Reason for all I know. The opening tracks "I Am I" and "Damaged" both penned by DeGarmo and Tate are the heavier sides of the album with nice hooks and remarkable vocal harmonies. They are followed by "Out of Mind" and "Bridge" which are both stamped by Chris DeGarmo's trademark sound and feature the more laid-back and their softer moments. DeGarmo's solo in "Out of Mind" is perhaps the LAST guitar solo I liked on a Queensryche album. Its slow progression and minimal writing charged with tons of emotion make this solo a masterpiece all on its own standards. Too bad this guy got all the unfair crap from his very own fanbase and was always overlooked one way or another among prog metal listeners. Too bad because Chris DeGarmo, whether his musical style nowadays appeals to me or not, is one of the most prolific songwriters ever. He was always regarded the 'second' man of the band because of Tate, but it showed hideously how important his role in the band is when he left the band. And as for the albums that he played on, they weren't bad albums because of DeGarmo, they were bad because DeGarmo played on them without having his heart in it. That's my take at least. If Ryche was so good on their own, they wouldn't have asked him to co-write on their last album Tribe, would they?

The title track, also the longest song on the album, is neatly placed right in the middle of the record and is my favourite song on the album. It was composed by all members in the band together and there is room for everyone to show how great they function together. "Promised Land" is an integral part of the way they all express themselves so well. The Floydan atmosphere is there, Tate does his lower register vocals flawlessly as well as he lets out his killer screams. I think this album was when his voice was its best. A perfect smooth tone with a lot expression. The rhythm work is top notch with solos played in random all over it. "Disconnected" is one of those songs I would despise if I heard it on their post-PL records but it sounds okay on this CD as it's the only one following the album's most complex track. It is very alternative sounding as it's the only tune that DeGarmo had no hand in writing. Still there's a nice solo towards the finale which makes it listenable. It is however sad that Ryche decided to ground their 'new' work on this song taking the easy way out instead of the title track with its layered melodies and intricate musicianship.

"Lady Jane" is another personal favourite of mine and while I have always enjoyed listening to "My Global Mind" as it's the next heavy tune to keep things in order I always believed it fell a little short in the lyrical department. As for the last two songs here, "One More Time" and "Someone Else?", the latter of which became another radio single, I have to point out that no Queensryche album has had such amazing album closers, that includes their masterpiece Mindcrime. I can't stop listening to this disc without hearing these two songs. Only then do I feel complete, hence the "perfectly balanced album" thing I mentioned previously. This album is so successfully produced and recorded it almost brings me to tears when I think of all the CDs they released after it. Why did all their brilliant ideas go down the drain all of a sudden?

Promised Land is one of my top 3 Queensryche albums always changing places with Empire. Mindcrime is unquestionably their best moment, but I also highly recommend their earlier stuff if you like good heavy metal with progressive overtones. If you don't like metal and prog, but just simple alternative pop-rock, then maybe their newer material would be more up your alley.

This album should be the one you own, cherish and play until the lasers burn through the CD. From beginning to end, Geoff Tate's lyrics and powerful voice send shivers down your spine, and the music perfectly compliments his vocals (or is it the other way around?)

I was not a fan of Queensryche until this album came out, this is the one that made me apprciate Queensryche for who they are. An ever-evolving, intelligent and incredibly hard rocking band. I suggest this album to ANYONE who is stuck in the "Are those the guys who did Silent Lucidity?" rut.

Sometimes its sad to see bands stagnate. In all honesty, though I love the man and all his albums, can we as fans really distiguish one newer King Diamond album from another? Is there really that much difference between House of God and Puppet Master? Nothing wrong with sticking with your guns, but sometimes it can get stale.

As this example exemplifies, there is also another extreme at the end of the spectrum, an end where a band like Amorphis will make an album like The Karelian Isthmus, then a few years later, Tuneola. "Progression" can be a dirty word for fans, but some bands are EXPECTED to make albums that sound different from the others, and one of these bands is the mighty Queensryche.
Thankfully though, they inhabited a halfway point (before Hear in the Now Frontier) where their sound was ENHANCED by progress, not hampered by it, and the core was always there.

Promised Land is probably the last album done by Ryche that qualifies as "Progressive metal" (Mindcrime II may qualify but just barely), and in fact, it may be the most progressive thing they ever did.
Its also some of the best material they ever did, not to the standards of the previous three albums (that may change as I listen to it more), but definitely better than any album afterward, and possibly to the level of "The Warning" and the first EP.

The album is truly progressive in scope, with epic somewhat "symphonic" passages intermeshed with textured guitar parts and vocals as godly as usual. Its the beginnings of the band going fully on into more of their "retro" territory, but thankfully in this case, its Pink Floyd rather than Louder than Love.

It also has some of the strange electronic touches that were on Rage For Order previously (Remember this is before most NIN clone bands) and still retains much of their twin axe attack like on previous records. It is truly a masterpiece, their last stab at a genre that they helped invent and took in a new direction on this one. In fact, some of the passages remind me of the metal prog/psych mix that was later explored by latter day Porcupine Tree, in a way.

I don't know what happened to the band after this album, the kidnapped by aliens and replaced by evil clones story works just as good for this band as Metallica.

On this album, the band reached for a very ambitious height that unfortunately, seemed to spell disaster for any commercial viability, especially compared to previous releases. Musically, its incredible, but listening to it is sort of sad because of the decline that was to follow.

From the operatic cyber metal in Rage For Order to the metal masterpiece of Operation: Mindcrime to the more happy and lighter approach of Empire Queensryche reached their top of their creativity in Promised Land. Always staying in the same musical territory that characterizes Queensryche music in all of these albums; Geoff Tate's operatic metal voice, the symphonic metal sound, the aggressiveness and coldness, the high choruses, they were also different from each other making every new release unpredictable and progressive. Promised Land has all the ingredients that characterise a good Queensryche album it just might take a little longer to get into.

Promised Land is far deeper and darker than the earlier releases. The fact that it includes four ballads might scare the Operation: Mindcrime fan away the first listening, but don't worry, we all know what Queensryche can create in songs like Silent Lucidity and I Will Remember; ballads from earlier albums that belongs to one of their best songs ever. I am I is the first song of the album and while it's more experimental and weird both when it comes to the musical elements and the lyrical it has all the ingredients that made songs like Eyes of a Stranger, Walk in the Shadows and Revolution Calling so good. It starts of with aggressive Indian influential guitar chords and rhythms and on top of this the complaining tunes of Geoff Tate's voice, followed by the most weird lyrics ever written in a rock song; "Beating with life you promised life, security happiness, unfortunate son cornered, cowering in the pit of circling panes of glass that surround and reveal the ever present "It". Both lyrically and musically Queensryche once again show us their ability to take musical steps no other band are able or dear to do just like they did with the entire 1986 Rage For Order album, creating music that sounds like nothing ever created before at the same time as it's music that can hit the charts (I am I actually did that). Damaged follows in the same musical style and it makes a good sequel together with many other songs of the album to the musical style of Operation: Mindcrime while it recreates the emotional touch of songs like Eyes Of a Stranger, Revolution Calling and I don't believe in Love but with a darker and more fresh musical style, more approachable to the music climate of the nineties. The masterpiece of the album definitely lies in the title song; a slow rhythm epic with a extremely deep and dark sound where Geoff Tate introduces his saxophone playing for the first time.

So while some people might say that Queensryche went down with Promised Land I hold this album, together with Rage For Order, as my favourite. It might not give you the light and more happy feeling that they give us with Empire, but life isn't always sunshine, is it? We all have to reflect over the more sad parts of our lives to be able to appreciate what's good. I'm glad that Queensryche present that to us.

Promised Land is Queensryche's 1994 album comming off the commercial breakthrough of EMPIRE. The album really makes you take a darker more uncomfotable view of the displaced people of life on songs like Lady Jane, Disconnected, and the outstanding Out of Mind. The fact that this album can evoke such emotions makes it well worth owning! The sound effects make me think of classic Pink Floyd and Rush which in itself is a very good compliment. Queensryche deserves to stand tall along both of those bands. You may disagree but the best way is to give the music a listen and judge for yourself. The album is a moody masterpiece that is a bit dark yet very atmospheric. The sounds and mix of the album are SUPERB. Promised Land was arguably Queensryche's finest hour and my favorite release from this great band.

I have been a QR fan since I saw them open up for Iron Maiden in Jan. 1985. Having said that, I am ashamed to say that I JUST bought Promised Land a few days ago. I concluded that the album wasn't worth getting based on several negative reviews I read over the years. This release is absolutely fantastic! Mindcrime aside, this is thier most inspiring and creative release EVER! Promised Land is a showcase for QR's incredible musicanship. GT's vocals are breathtaking and the guitar work (classic DeGarmo)is so masterful that I weep when I think of Q2K. Each song complements the others and none feel out of place.

Unlike Q2K, this one is a keeper!

I know this may be sacrilege for some Queensr’che fans as most consider their earlier works their high point and this album represents their last good effort. However, as someone who grew up with Operation MindCrime and Empire, I find this album to be their most mature, satisfying work. Always an intelligent group they do not disappoint here covering some pretty heavy topics throughout the album ranging from abandonment to one's existence and place in this world.

The album is a cohesive effort with each song progressing and naturally flowing into the next so that each song takes shape in full knowledge that is contributing to a greater whole which is what I believe separates this album from some of their other very strong earlier works.

Musically they branch out a bit more than on past albums and work in a lot of different sounds that really contribute to the richness and depth in the album. Quite frankly I'd rate this as the best work Queensr’che has ever done and one of the finest Alt-Rock albums ever. I've heard some refer to Queensr’che as a "prog" rock band and while I love that genre, I don't think that label represents them well, other than the fact that this group really tries to take their music to the next level which is a lot of what prog music is generally about, so I guess from that perspective they might qualify for some. In any case, if you like Queensr’che and for some reason haven't heard this album yet - or - you just appreciate intelligent, mature quality music this album is definitely for you.